Essay Example on Pink Floyd: A Legendary Rock Band's Historic Journey

Pink Floyd is amongst the most significant English Rock and Roll bands group. The group was active on numerous occasions, some of their peak moments being between 1965 and 1995. They also made several appearances in the music industry with hits after hits primarily between 2005 and 2012. Their final release before laying low was in 2014. Pink Floyd are famous for their magnificent and well-structured labels including the Music EMI, EMI Columbia Tower, the Harvest Capital, and Parlophone, among others (Fricke, 1987). The rock band has been a successful music group, cutting and penetrating different generations. Their massive success in the realm of music makes it a worth studying group. Therefore, the research focuses on dissecting the group in lights of how the group kicked off, how their works relate to those of previous generations, the unique feature of their music setting them aside from their peers, and the impact of technology in their music.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The rise of Pink Floyd in Rock and Roll and the music world, in general, dates back to the early and mid of the 1960s. The rock band was as a result of the significant input of Syd Barrett, who stands out to be the pioneer and creator of the group. Barrett was a student at Cambridge University from 1965 to 1967, studying arts, when the rock band emerged (Pentreath, 2018). He joined hands with Rick Wright, Nick Mason, and Waters, all who were fellow students at the Cambridge University studying architecture, in the cofounding of the rock band at the dusk of 1965. The rock band served as an underground Rock and Roll between 1966 and 1967, when funs acknowledged it as Pink, giving tributes to Barrett (Fricke, 1987). According to Fricke (1987), the naming of the rock band as Pink Floyd was Barrett’s idea following a series of unsuccessful nomenclature for the rock band. Barrett borrowed the name from the bluesmen picking the first names of the two old pioneers, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, and joining them to form the name (Fricke, 1987). During the formation and early works of this rock band, Barrett was an essential factor as he was the primary singer for most of the songs. Additionally, he added the charisma that the group had in the late 1960s. Pink Floyd helped to usher in an era of psychedelic rock and roll in the ’70s with their ever-expansive sound. Like many bands before them, Pink Floyd found inspiration from blues, but they weren’t afraid to change and mold that towards a future sound. Modern bands still draw inspiration from Pink Floyd’s discography, and they are regarded highly in Rock and Roll history. From the artwork on albums to the way the music sounded, Pink Floyd was always breaking ground since its formation. The unique features of the group during the psychedelic era include the philosophical elements in the lyrics, the application of the extended compositions, the sonic advancement and experimentation, and the outstanding live shows. Therefore, right from its early stages of founding, the group proved to have the capacity to dominate the rock genre for ages.

Pink Floyd drew its inspiration from the many previous generation groups and rock genre music. There is no doubt that the rock band, having relied on the previous generation, will portray their characteristics and have numerous relations. One of the most exciting relations between Pink Floyd’s music and that of the earlier generations lies within the genre itself. The band concentrated on the creation of music focusing on the progressive and psychedelic rock. The blues musicians, particularly those of South Carolina, including Floyd Council and Pink Anderson, played a significant role in Pink Floyd’s music endeavors. The themes, instrumentations, and performances of the group relate closely with that of these artists. Just like the previous generations that associated with drugs either in their content creation, themes, and lifestyles, Pink Floyd had close relations to the last music generation groups in this sense. The theme of love in some of Pink Floyd’s music relates to the previous generations as a result of drawing inspiration from these generations.

Pink Floyd has successfully dominated the rock genre for many years. The success of the rock band has its root in several factors. These factors are most essential in setting the rock band apart from other bands. They include the high-level innovative art covers, the lavish stage experiences, and their attributed music movements, which is characterized by the psychedelic space-rock and the blues-based progressive rock, among others. The band was successful with its innovative course that set them apart from the peers. The most visible part of this innovation is through the release of The Dark Side of the Moon (Staff, 2012). In this release, the band attempted to make vital changes in their performances by changing the instrumentations in the music. Pink Floyd had put much significance in experimentation using a different approach to reach and dominate the airwaves. At one point, the band had to drop their traditional instrumentation tools and embark on performances centered on the home appliances. Unlike their peers that focused on the traditional instruments, Pink Floyd got out of their comfort zone and made an album out of innovation using the glasses, mixers, spray cans, and the rubber bands. An excellent example of the music made this way is The Hard Way (Staff, 2012). The band manipulated sounds and created numerous effects from the long-life accumulated wealth of experience and creativity. The stage experiences and performances demonstrated by Pink Floyd also set them aside from their peers. Their performances entailed excellent sound and lighting, something that was unique at that time. Additionally, the ability of the band to transition and transform with time ensured that they were successful for long in the realm of music. Pink Floyd tactically moved with the technological changes making them outstanding and separating the group from their peers.

Technology had immense impacts on the success of the band. It played the roles of transformation, the addition of the aesthetic beauty, and widening the audiences for the rock band both worldwide and cutting across different generations. Pink Floyd used technology in their musical career in many ways. Two of the most common technological applications for the band is the use of Abbey Road TG12345 Desk and the use of laser light technology, later dubbed as the Laser Floyd (Mgallucci, 2013). Technological advancement affected Pink Floyd in many ways, including impacting the visual and audio elements of the music and opening up the scope of application of the music. The application of the Abbey Road TG12345 Desk in their music increased their audience and the popularity of the music. The changes in technology when the group was active, ensured that they remained relevant. Additionally, the group reached a greater audience in comparison to the earlier generation due to the access to the much larger pool of audience courtesy of the advanced technology. Pink Floyd’s music is still relevant today and available on many online platforms, including YouTube, due to technological development. Therefore, it had a significant effect on the band’s musical career and development.

Numerous pieces of music by Pink Floyd are available for analysis in terms of musical, historical, political, technological, and economic significance. One of these songs is Comfortably Numb. The 1979 hit of The Wall revolves around the state of loss and agony (Mgallucci, 2013). It is an actual event that had occurred to Waters before one of their major performance in Philadelphia. Therefore, it addresses the disconnect that the band experienced with the fans on that event. In a way, the song is a reflection, on the historical context, of the rock band. It has a historical significance in communicating the past to the listeners. The song is significant musically as it seeks to embrace and apply various elements of music. Music, being an art, relies on the excellent twists and webbing of the lyrics, instruments, and theme. The song adheres to all these aspects, making it a significant music component. Comfortably Numb has been one of the vital educational tools in music classes in many learning institutions. Therefore, it plays a significant role in educational development. Comfortably Numb is arguably one of the best songs of all times of the Pink Floyd. Rolling Stone magazine recognized the song as one of the best, ranking it at position 314 in 2004 (Biglasers, 2018). There is no doubt that the rock band ripped a substantially high amount of money from the song, just like the rest of their music. Since it is one of the best songs, it has been a useful tool for association and socialization, with the song being used in some political rallies and concerts. Additionally, the use of the solo guitars in the song is evidence of the changes that the band was making to keep up with the changing technology.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Pink Floyd is one of the most prominent groups and bands of all time. They have made significant changes in the realm of Rock and Roll. The band had a humble beginning from through the efforts of Barrett and the other cofounders. The band borrowed some composition and instrumentation aspects from other generations. However, they had several unique features that ensured that they were outstanding. This included their creativity, instrumentation, and evolution with the changing technological spectrum. The creativity of Pink Floyd will last for generations and will forever be an essential part of Rock and Roll history. Coming from an era filled with psychedelic drugs, they managed to create a unique sound while incorporating new styles and technology.

References

Biglasers. (2018, October 8). The History Of Infamous Pink Floyd Laser Light Shows. Retrieved on 21st June 2020, from https://biglasers.com/blog/2018/10/08/the-history-of-infamouspink-floyd-laser-light-shows/

Fricke, D. (1987). Pink Floyd: The Inside Story. Roger Waters and David Gilmour talk about the battles that tore apart this legendary band. Retrieved on June 21st, 2020, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pink-floyd-the-inside-story-104505/

Mgallucci. (2013, January 27). Top 10 Pink Floyd Songs. Retrieved on 21st June, 2020, from https://ultimateclassicrock.com/pink-floyd-songs/

Pentreath, R. (2018, January 6). Where to begin with Pink Floyd. Retrieved on 21st June, 2020, from https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/music/where-to-begin-with-pink-floyd

Staff, P. D. (2012, January 1). Pink Floyd: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 1996. Retrieved May 31, 2020, from https://www.cleveland.com/rockhall/2012/01/pink_floyd_rock_and_roll_hall.html